SABRINA AVAKIAN

CRIMINOLOGIST AND WRITER

 Sabrina Avakian was born in Addis Ababa (Ethiopia) from an Armenian father and an Italian mother. Sabrina as an Armenian, and pertaining to a minority group decimated by the genocide forgotten by the world, decided to dedicate herself to Justice and Human Rights, to give voice to the weakest and the most needy population. In March 1993, after graduating in Educational psychology and finalizing her PHD in education psycho-pedagogical and Human rights sciences and Criminology, she started working with the United Nations and International organizations in the humanitarian field.

In 1989 she worked as a volunteer on the border with Sudan, within a literacy project for children and women. Subsequently, in 1995, Sabrina began to operate in different UN peace keeping missions, dealing with human rights: she traveled to Angola, Mozambique, Capo Verde, Tanzania, Rwanda, Darfur, Somalia, Somali region (Ethiopia), Kosovo, Macedonia, Bosnia, Armenia and other countries. Presently she is an Expert at the Juvenile Justice Court and Family mediator. As Representative at the European Level for GEMME an International Organization of Judges for mediation, she strenghtens mediation procedures in Europe. As an Emergency Expert for Human Rights she travels for the United Nations all over Africa. Presently in Central African Republic where a terrible genocide is ongoing. In Europe, at the policy level, she works in the humanitarian field in Italy, devoting herself mainly to prevent female genital mutilation and enforcing the protection of children’s rights.

Currently working as a Specialized Judge at the Juvenile Justice Court in Rome and travelling worldwide as a consultant for children and youth projects. As a film maker, she produced different documentaries on female genital mutilation, on the Armenian genocide, on the voice of Armenians in the new Armenia and lastly on a documentary Hope in Ethiopia. Most of the documentaries were supported by International organizations, Rai International and other networks. Sabrina Avakian has also founded an NGO called the HUG – L’ Abbraccio and she implements a lot of projects for children and women, involving those in making films and supporting book publications by telling their stories.